Lowry ‘Emporia’

Words by Brittany Norvell

Based out of Brooklyn, Lowry emerged on the indie rock scene in 2005 with their debut studio album Awful Joy, and have since created a buzz with their electric “anti-folk” sound.

With members hailing from from all ends of the earth, they’ve created a unique style that is sure to please every ear from Kansas to New Zealand.

Their newest album Emporia hits all the right notes, and it’s definitely not what one would expect from an alt-country influenced group. The guitar textures and elegant male/female harmonies exchanged by Alex Lowry (vocals/guitar/keyboards) and Heidi Sidelinker (vocals/banjo/guitar/percussion) engulf listeners from the beginning notes of “The Weight of Light”. “Godless Girl” and “Lie to Me” also take us on an psychedelic, atmospheric journey of beautiful noise and hauntingly good lyrics.

Lowry has undergone several personnel changes over the years, and now it seems they are a core, more focused group of artists. This record seems to be best heard as a whole. Much like a movie or book, each song builds upon the previous one, and it almost seems a disservice to the album to try and individualize each track.

The overall sad, but beautiful tones and words are filled with emotional grit, reminding us that life is hard, messy, and almost always brutal. At least with Lowry’s lovely, honest sound streaming through your ears you can kick back for awhile and forget about all the “first world problems” we all have.